National Family Caregivers Month, November

Respite Care “Get a Break from Caregiving”

Every caregiver needs a break from time to time. Options for respite care range from informal agreements with friends and family to formal contracts for services with an agency or Senior Daycare facility. Here are ways to get regular backup help for a few hours, a few days, or daily. Because as a caregiver you need to take care of yourself and get regular breaks. Ask for help from family and friends. How it helps: You’ll get a break; those filling in will better understand both your needs and your loved one’s needs. What it costs: It is a good idea to either pay a small amount or to compensate family or friends informally with gas station cards, restaurant meals, or other goods or services.

Respite Companion care, How it helps: They can prepare meals, do light housekeeping, help with laundry, shop for groceries, run errands. What it costs: Companion care can range from $20 or more per hour. Personal care assistant How it helps: in addition to providing light housekeeping and homemaking tasks — can help clients with bathing, dressing, toileting, and grooming. They can’t provide medical services, such as diabetes care. What it costs: Costs range from $15 to $40 per hour for intermittent help; $200 or more per day or more for live-in care.

Senior Activity Adult Daycare services How it helps:Adult daycare services, sometimes called adult daycare, provide some health monitoring, mind and body exercise, social activities, meals, music, companionship, mobility assistants and other support services. They offer a safe, supervised environment with experts in Dementia care for participants, as well as respite for the regular caregivers. An added benefit: The one receiving care will benefit from receiving comfort and company from other trusted professionals.The day program not only gives caregivers more time for themselves; it also fosters a sense of community among both those who give and receive the care. Best facilities are stand-alone centers. What it costs: The cost from a licensed provider ranges from $85 to $150 per day; covered by types of insurances and grants. How to get started: It’s best to contact and tour possible adult daycare centers for your loved one. Two good places to find leads: search for Senior Activity Daycare services by city or zip code — and to see ratings and reviews. Also, you may contact Daycation for Seniors, to answer any questions.

Assisted living respite care – How it helps: Many skilled nursing facilities offer room and board for older adults who need help with everyday tasks. Time frames range from a partial day to several weeks. What it costs: Many facilities offer overnight, or extended respite stays. Costs average $250 to $350 per day, depending on the amount of care needed; some places impose minimums and maximums on the number of days for a respite stay. How to get started: Some facilities offer respite stays only when not at full capacity, and some don’t advertise their respite services openly, so you may need to do some investigating to find a local facility that offers the service.

Veterans options;How it helps: The Veterans Administration (VA) offers a number of programs and support for veterans and for some wartime veterans who are caring for their spouses — all designed to give the primary caregivers some help and time off.

Adult Activity daycare centers. Many local VA refer adult daycare centers, open Monday through Friday, which offer caregiver respite and focus on rehabilitation for veterans. Respite care. The VA provides qualified veterans with up to 30 days of respite care each year at home or through temporary placement of a veteran at a VA community living center, a VA-contracted community residential care facility, or an adult daycare center. What it costs: The services are generally free or offered for a minimal amount for qualifying veterans and their family members. How to get started: Both a telephone hotline and website can help you in this search.Also, most VA offices are staffed with licensed caregiver support coordinators who can help match callers with services for which they’re eligible. Find the local coordinator by searching by zip code on the VA

We hope this has been helpful information for you. Feel free to contact us with any question you might have. Sincerely, Daycation for Seniors